ALT.FOOD.FAT-FREE FAQ
Last updated: 5/27/95
Written by: Michelle Dick
Archived at: ftp://ftp.fatfree.com/FAQ/alt-food-fat-free-faq
This is a summary of information about the alt.food.fat-free
newsgroup, very low fat diets, fat in foods, and nutritional labeling.
Send any comments, suggestions, or corrections to me, Michelle Dick,
at artemis@fatfree.com.
Throughout this document you will see reference to various URLs.
These are pointers to internet resources available through ftp,
gopher, and web-browsers. Please ask at your computer site for more
information on how to use these pointers (I'm sorry, but I can't help
you).
Additions or substantive changes since the last update marked with *
in the contents listing.
CONTENTS
1. ORIGIN OF ALT.FOOD.FAT-FREE
2. TOPIC OF ALT.FOOD.FAT-FREE
3. ABBREVIATIONS
4. DIET DEFINITIONS
5. FINDING THE FAT
5.1. Determining %CFF, percentage of calories from fat
5.2. % Fat-free on a food label
5.3. Converting from % fat by weight to %CFF
5.4 "Fat Free" claims on labels
5.5. Hidden fat
5.6. Finding the fat content of non-labeled foods
5.7. Fat content of oils
5.8. Fat content of nuts
5.9. Other high fat vegetable foods
5.10. TVP
5.11 Seitan
6. FAT IN THE DIET
6.1. Optimal fat content
6.2. Keeping track of fat in the diet
6.3. Dietary need for fat
6.4. How much fat is needed
6.5. Two types of EFAs and their dietary sources.
6.6. RDA for EFAs
6.7. Best vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids
6.8. Omega-3 fatty acid content of fish and flax oils
7. COOKING WITHOUT FAT
7.1. Alternatives to sauteing or stir-frying with oil
7.2. Replacing fat in baked goods.
8 NUTRITIONAL LABELING IN THE US
8.1 NLEA
8.2 Definition of terms used in food labeling
8.3 Rounding off nutrient values
8.4 Mono and diglycerides
9. OTHER RESOURCES
9.1. VLF cookbooks
9.2. Background books on vlf diets
9.3. Related email mailing lists
9.4. Ftp recipe archives
9.5. Nutrition sites on the internet
10. THANKS!
1. ORIGIN OF ALT.FOOD.FAT-FREE
Early in 1993, I created the FATFREE Vegetarian Mailing List for
discussion of very low fat vegetarianism. The list's focus was and
is vegetarian diets with approximately 5-15%CFF, not low fat diets
of 15-30%CFF. The list became very popular very quickly and many
on the list wanted a usenet forum to discuss the topic as well as
space to discuss non-vegetarian vlf foods. Thus, a member of the
FATFREE Mailing List created alt.food.fat-free. The charter
message indicated that the group was for discussion of diets
similar to the FATFREE Mailing List without a restrition to
vegetarian foods. Because of the similarity of the topic and
because the creator also wanted to stress that the group was for
discussion of *very* low fat diets, the name "fat-free" was carried
over (despite the fact that this a misnomer as there are no truly
fat free nutritious foods or diets).
2. TOPIC OF ALT.FOOD.FAT-FREE
The topic of this newsgroup is foods and cooking relevant to very
lowfat (appx 15%CFF and under) diets. The list is NOT restricted
to vegetarian foods.
Long-time readers and other knowledgable folks are very much aware
that there are no truly fatless foods (excepting perhaps, water
and sugar). All foods contain some fat (see below for more info).
Individual ingredients and recipes are not required to be below
some magic level of fat content; the only expectation is that
discussion should concentrate on those foods and dishes that fit
easily into very low fat diets.
3. ABBREVIATIONS
CFF = Calories From Fat
LF = Low Fat
VLF = Very Low Fat
HFS = Health Food Store
SAD = Standard American Diet
SWD = Standard Western Diet
TVP = Texturized Vegetable Protein
HVP = Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
4. DIET DEFINITIONS
VLF diet: usually refers to a diet of 15%CFF or less and often
10%CFF or less.
Pritikin diet: diet advocated by Nathan Pritikin starting in the
70's. Less than 10%CFF, non-vegetarian, sugar-restricted.
Ornish diet: diet promoted by Dean Ornish. Ovo-lacto vegetarian,
10%CFF or less.
McDougall diet: diet promoted by John McDougall. Vegan diet,
usually containing 10%CFF or less.
Vegetarian diet: diet that excludes all animal flesh, all chicken,
all fish and seafood. May or may not include eggs, milk products,
and honey. Not necessarily low in fat.
Ovo-Lacto vegetarian diet: vegetarian diet including eggs (ovo) and
dairy (lacto). One sometimes also hears the terms ovo-vegetarian
and lacto-vegetarian.
Vegan diet: vegetarian diet that also excludes all egg and milk
products and usually excludes honey. Not necessarily low in fat.
Entenman's diet: derisive term for a diet consisting of large
amounts of "fat free" sugar foods such as Entenman's fatfree baked
goods.
5. FINDING THE FAT
5.1. Determining %CFF, percentage of calories from fat
One useful measure of fat is the percentage of calories as fat. To
compute this percentage you need to know both the total calories
and grams of fat:
grams of fat X 9
%CFF = ---------------- X 100
total calories
Example: A jar of Campbell's Healthy Request (tm) Cream of Mushroom
Soup is labeled as having (per serving) 2g fat and 60 calories.
Thus, the % calories from fat is
2 * 9 18
----- * 100 = ---- * 100 = .30 * 100 = 30% calories from fat
60 60
5.2. % Fat-free on a food label
When % fat is listed on a food label, this is NOT %CFF as
calculated above. Food labels use fat percentage by weight not
calories. For instance, 1% milk is milk with 1% fat by weight. It
has 23%CFF.
In the previous Campbell's Soup example, the soup is labeled as
"99% Fat Free! (1% fat as served)". But from our prior
calculations, we showed it has 30%CFF.
5.3. Converting from % fat by weight to %CFF
There is no simple way to convert from a weight percentage to a
calorie percentage. The reason is that the conversion will depend
on how much water, fiber, and other non-caloric ingredients are in
the item. For instance, you could add a drop of oil to a glass of
water. By weight, it would have less than 1% fat, yet 100% of the
calories would be from fat. One can calculate a lower bound on the
%CFF, however. If a product has X% fat by weight, it must be at
least:
900X
%CFF = ------
400 + 5X
Keep in mind this is just a lower bound, the true %CFF will
probably be much higher. It is better to use the fat formula from
section 4.1 if at all possible.
5.4 "Fat Free" claims on labels
In the U.S, food can be labeled "fat free" and listed as having 0
grams of fat if the actual fat content is less than 0.5 grams.
This is how foods can have oil or high-fat ingredients listed in
their ingredients yet claim to have only 0 grams of fat. See below
for more information on the labeling law in the US.
5.5. Hidden fat
The fat we are most familiar with is the triglyceride. All oils
are triglycerides. However, there are also other forms of fat that
you will see in ingredient lists. They are: lecithin,
monoglycerides, and diglycerides. These are fats just like
triglycerides and also have 9 calories per gram. Mono and
diglycerides are treated by the body in the same way as regular oil
(triglycerides). Lecithin metabolism is somewhat different.
5.6. Finding the fat content of non-labeled foods
There are many "fat count" books on the market. These books give
nutritional info for a variety of fresh and packaged foods. Buy
one. While you can ask on this group about the fat content of
various foods, it is considered polite to first attempt to look up
the info yourself. One of the more complete fat count books is
"The Corinne T Netzer Encyclopedia of Food Values".
5.7. Fat content of oils
All oils are 100% fat. This includes olive oil, sesame oil, chili
oil, fish oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, canola oil, safflower oil, and
every other oil. Oils (and fats) have 9 calories per gram. Of
course, oils vary widely in the proportion of saturated,
polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat they contain.
5.8. Fat content of nuts
Sad to say, but nuts are very high in fat. Most nuts get between
60 and 95%CFF. The ONLY exceptions are gingko nuts (13%CFF) and
chestnuts (8%CFF).
5.9. Other high fat vegetable foods
Other high-fat vegetable foods include olives at 96%CFF, avocados
at 86%CFF, seeds (includes tahini) at 60 to 75%CFF, coconut at
61%CFF, coconut milk at 93%CFF and most tofu at 50%CFF. There are
some brands of tofu that have as little as 15%CFF or 1% fat by
weight (in Canada, look for President's Choice Tofu (15%CFF) and in
the US look for Mori Nu Lite Tofu (1% fat by weight)).
5.10. TVP
TVP stands for Texturized Vegetable Protein. It is made from
defatted soy flour and is very low in fat (3%CFF). It is sold in
flakes, granules, and chunks and can be used as a replacement for
ground beef. Note that TVP is not the same thing as HVP,
hydrolyzed vegetable protein. HVP is a food additive that often
contains significant amounts of MSG, monosodium glutamate. TVP
does not contain MSG. Although TVP itself is extremely low in fat,
sometimes commerical products made from TVP or TVP mixes contain
significant amounts of added fat. As always, read the label.
TYPICAL NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR 1/4 CUP DRY TVP GRANULES (21g)
Calories: 59
Protein: 11g
Carbohydrates: 7g
Fat: 0.2g
CFF: 3%
5.11. Seitan
Seitan is a product made from the gluten in wheat. You can buy
pre-made seitan, box mixes, or make it by hand from gluten flour or
even wheat flour. It is almost all protein with essentially no
fat.
6. FAT IN THE DIET
6.1. Optimal fat content
There is no ideal level of dietary fat that applies to everyone.
Current US recommendations are to eat no more than 30%CFF. Some
health professionals recommend 25, 20, 15, or 10%CFF or less.
Nathan Pritikin, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. John McDougall are three
proponents of diets with less than 10%CFF. The primary focus of
this group (as stipulated in the creation message) is vlf diets in
the 10%CFF range. While diets this low in fat are not optimal for
everyone, this newsgroup is geared to those who have determined
that such diets are optimal for themselves.
6.2. Keeping track of fat in the diet
There are several methods of tracking or controlling fat in the
diet. Some folks set a %CFF goal for their diet and a %CFF goal for
each food/dish/meal. Others like to set a fat gram limit for each
day/week and keep a running total. Another popular method is to
not consume any added fat or high fat foods at all, save for a few
rare treats. Nutrition software that tracks dietary nutrients can
also be used. There is no one best way for everyone. Those who are
trying to control their overall calorie intake in addition to fat
often find that keeping track of fat grams works best. Others find
it too cumbersome to keep a fat count and feel it is easier to eat
only those foods that have less than a specific %CFF. Eating foods
with no added fat and no high fat foods involves no nutritional
calculation at all.
6.3. Dietary need for fat
It is absolutely true that we need fat in our diet to function
properly. It would be unhealthy to eliminate all fat. However, in
a non-junk-food diet composed of a variety of foods it is
impossible to eliminate all fat. All foods have fat. A diet
consisting only of beans, fruits, vegetables, and grains (and
*zero* added oils or high-fat ingredients) will naturally obtain
about 6-10%CFF. Since few people are this strict 100% of the time,
most of those who attempt vlf diets get 10-20%CFF.
We get people on the group from time to time who claim to eat no
fat or extremely little (say less than 10 grams per day). Unless
one is eating mostly fatfree junk food or extremely few calories
(less than 1200 cal/day) this is highly unlikely. Keep in mind
foods labeled "fat free" can contain up to 0.5 grams of fat per
serving and that all foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, etc)
contain some fat, even skim milk!
6.4. How much fat is needed
We need fat for two main reasons: to help absorb fat soluble
vitamins (such as vitamin A) and to supply two types of essential
fatty acids (EFAs) that our bodies need but cannot produce. A diet
with at least 10 grams of fat per day will result in normal vitamin
absorption (some recommend at least 5 grams per meal, or 15 grams
per day). Experts disagree on how much EFA we need, but it is
generally a very small amount (most of the doctors involved in vlf
dietary regimens feel that a varied plant food diet with at least
4-6%CFF will satisfy EFA needs and that no effort is needed to
insure adequate intake of these nutrients).
6.5. Two types of EFAs and their dietary sources.
Our bodies need a source of both n-6 fatty acids and n-3 fatty
acids (also called "omega-3" fatty acids). n-6 acids can be found
in some meats (arachidonic acid), but are particularly plentiful in
most vegetables (linoleic acid). n-3 acids are plentiful in fish
(eicosapentaenoic acid and decosahexaenoic acid) and in some plant
foods such as flaxseeds, walnuts, wheat, soybeans, oats, corn,
leafy greens and other seeds and nuts (linolenic acid). Actually,
most plant foods contain omega-3 in amounts ranging from 1 to 50%
of total fat.
6.7 RDA for EFAs
No Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for either essential fatty
acid have been established, primarily because essential fatty acid
deficiency has been observed exlcusively in patients with medical
problems affecting fat intake or absorption. However, the human
requirement for linoleic acid has been estimated to be
approximately 1 to 2% of the total energy intake (2.7% for
infants). This level is generally more than met in varied diets
since fats from vegetables are particularly rich sources of
linoleic acid. It has been proposed that omega-3 fatty acids should
be equal to 10 to 25% of the linoleic acid intake (or 0.1 to 0.5%
of total energy intake) particularly during pregnancy, lactation,
and infancy. -- Food and Nutrition Board 1989
6.7. Best vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids
As long as you eat a varied non-junkfood diet (whether
non-vegetarian, vegetarian, or vegan), you will most likely get all
the EFAs you need. But, if (for whatever reason) you would like to
consume more, the number one best vegetarian source of both EFAs is
flax seeds. However, whole flax seeds are not usually digested
well by the body and linolenic acid is very unstable and goes
rancid quickly. You should either use cold-pressed flax seed oil
that is no more than 3 months old, or freshly ground flax seeds.
In either case, eat them raw. Some like to add ground flax seed to
their breakfast cereal or to make a vinaigrette with flax oil and
add it to salad.
6.8 Omega-3 fatty acid content of fish and flax oils
Grams of omega-3 fatty acid in 100 grams of oil
-----------------------------------------------
Cod liver oil 19.2
Herring oil 14.0
Menhaden oil 21.7
MaxEPA, concentrated fish oil 29.4
Salmon oil 20.1
Flax seed oil 53.3
Source: USDA: HNIS/PT-103 1988
7. COOKING WITHOUT FAT
7.1. Alternatives to sauteing or stir-frying with oil
The most common technique is to braise the food in a water-based
liquid, such as wine, broth (vegetable or a defatted meat stock),
flavored vinegar, or a soy sauce mixture. Balsamic vinegar is a
popular braising liquid. Note that food often tastes more bland
when cooking without fat and the quantity of spices should usually
be increased.
7.2. Replacing fat in baked goods.
The most common technique is to use fruit purees (apple sauce,
apple butter, mashed bananas, pureed prunes (some like to use baby
food prunes), etc) or nonfat dairy products (fatfree sour cream,
fatfree cream cheese, etc) in place of the fat in the recipe.
Substitution is typically 1 for 1 (I.e. 1 cup applesauce for each
cup oil). Many find that a better product is obtained by diluting
the substitute with water rather than using it full strength. When
using fruit purees you will also generally need to decrease the
sugar. Note that the fatfree product will be noticeably different
than the fatted version.
8 NUTRITIONAL LABELING IN THE US
8.1 NLEA
On May 8th, 1993 the Nutritional Labeling and Education Act (NLEA)
of 1990 went into effect in the U.S.A. It defined terms such as
"low fat" and "high fiber" for the purposes of food labeling,
broadened the classes of foods requiring nutritional labeling,
redesigned the format of the nutritional label, and set standard
serving sizes for foods. Some foods are still exempt from
nutritional labeling, such as meats (regulated by the USDA, not the
FDA), restaurant foods, and products made by small companies in
limited volume.
8.2 Definition of terms used in food labeling
FAT FREE: less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.
LOW FAT: less than 3 grams of fat per serving.
For more complete infomation on this subject see (URL):
gopher://zeus.esusda.gov/00/feds/fda/terms
8.3 Rounding off nutrient values
Often the caloric values and protein, fat, and carbohydrate amounts
listed on a food label don't "add up". The most common reason for
this is rounding. The NLEA specifies the following rounding rules
(all per serving):
FAT: Amounts between 0 and 0.5 grams can be expressed as 0. Amounts
between 0.5 and 5 grams can be rounded to the nearest 0.5 gram
increment. Amounts greater than 5 grams can be rounded to the
nearest gram.
PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATES: Amounts between 0 and 0.5 grams can be
expressed as 0. Amounts between 0.5 and 1 gram can be expressed as
"contains less than 1 gram". Amounts above 1 gram are rounded to the
nearest gram.
CALORIES FROM FAT: Amounts from 0 to 5 calories can be expressed as
0. Amounts between 5 and 50 can be rounded to the nearest 5
calories. Amounts above 50 calories can be rounded to the nearest
10 calories.
8.4 Mono and diglycerides
The NLEA stipulates that all sources of fat must be included in the
fat measurement; this includes mono and diglycerides. However, the
FDA did not mandate that a specific type of test be used in
measuring the fat and not all tests capture mono and diglycerides.
Since mono and di-glycerides are used almost exclusively for their
emulsification properties it is rare that a food contains enough of
these fats to affect the overall fat content in a nutritionally
significant way.
9. OTHER RESOURCES
9.1. VLF cookbooks
There are several vlf cookbooks. I post two cookbook lists to
this group periodically, one is an annotated listing of vegetarian
books and cookbooks, the other is a simple bibliography of
non-vegetarian cookbooks. The criterion for inclusion in these
lists is that at least 2/3 of the recipes must have 15%CFF or less.
If you are adept at adapting moderately lowfat recipes to be vlf,
there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of moderately lowfat books
on the market. As for what's a "good" cookbook, that depends on
what you are looking for (gourmet? simple? ethnic? quick? vegan?
already adapted to vlf or easily adaptable? etc). Feel free to
ask on the group for specific recommendations.
The vlf cookbook lists are available via anonymous ftp at:
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/ar/artemis/book.list (non-vegetarian cookbooks)
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/ar/artemis/book.list.veg (vegetarian, annotated)
9.2. Background books on vlf diets
The "founding father" of the vlf diet movement in the West is
Nathan Pritikin, who began experimenting with a vlf diet in the
early 60's. In the late 70's, doctors Dean Ornish and John
McDougall began using vlf diets to reverse heart disease and other
chronic ailments. Since then there has been an explosion of people
following and advocating vlf diets (including Neal Barnard, Cliff
Sheats, Terry Shintani, Susan Powter and many others). The
following are three of the original works on vlf diets which
include advice on implementing vlf diets, explanations of why a
vlf diet is beneficial and recipes.
McDougall, John. The McDougall Program: 12 Days to Dynamic
Health. 1990. Plume. ISBN: 0-452-26639-4. (VEGAN)
Ornish, Dean. Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart
Disease. 1990. Ballantine Books. ISBN: 0-345-37353-7. (VEGETARIAN)
Pritikin, Nathan. Pritikin Program for Diet & Exercise. Bantam
Books: 1979. ISBN: 0-553-27192-X (NON-VEGETARIAN).
9.3. Related email mailing lists
EAT-LF -- Eat Low Fat Mailing List
EAT-LF is for discussion of low fat/very low fat diets and is
not restricted to vegetarian foods.
To join send email to: majordomo@best.com
With the message: subscribe eat-lf
or, for the digest: subscribe eat-lf-digest
FATFREE -- Fat Free Vegetarian Mailing List
FATFREE is a high-volume mailing list for discussion of vlf
*vegetarianism*. To join send the message "subscribe" to:
fatfree-REQUEST@fatfree.com
BA-FATFREE -- SF Bay Area List
This is an off-shoot of the FATFREE list. It is intended for
folks who live in or near the Bay Area to discuss local issues
and arrange get-togethers/potlucks. Temporarily off-line.
CHICAGO AREA FATFREE LIST
This is local FATFREE list for those who live in or near the
Chicago Area. For more information write to:
lee@bio-3.bsd.uchicago.edu
or
ekatman@midway.uchicago.edu
PHILADELPHIA AREA FATFREE GROUP
Local group for those who live in or near the Philadelphia area.
For more information write to:
Patricia Thorp
FIT-L -- Fitness List
Fitness discussion list: listserv@etsuadmn.bitnet
9.4. Ftp recipe archives
ALT.FOOD.FAT-FREE ARCHIVE
There is an archive of postings to a.f.f-f from September through
November of 1993 at the following anonymous ftp site:
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/discussion-groups/newsgroups/alt.food.fat-free
Unfortunately, this site does not appear to be adding any new
postings to its archive.
FATFREE RECIPE ARCHIVE
Recipes and other files from the FATFREE mailing list
are available to all on the web and via anonymous ftp:
MAIN SITE:
http://www.fatfree.com
ftp://ftp.fatfree.com
MIRROR SITES (contain recipes only):
ftp://ftp.geod.emr.ca/pub/Vegetarian/Recipes/FatFree (Canada)
ftp://ftp.halcyon.com/pub/recipes (USA)
ftp://ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/pub/rec/cooking/fatfree (Germany)
If you do not have access to anonymous ftp, you can retrieve files
by email, using the archive server provided by halcyon. To get
started, send the message "help" to "archive-server@halcyon.com".
They are also available via gopher at gopher.geod.emr.ca (under
vegetarian recipes).
9.5 Nutrition sites on the internet
USDA food composition data (in raw form) can be found at:
ftp://info.umd.edu/inforM/Educational_Resources/AcademicResourcesByTopic/AgricultureEnvironmentResources/USDA/USDAFoodCompositionData
The above can also be accessed by gopher.
FDA and Food Center for Safety and Nutrition web site contains
FDA consumer information and NLEA bulletins:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/cfsan.html
10. THANKS!
Thanks to the following for helpful suggestions and corrections:
Jeffrey V. Butera
Brian Manning Delaney
Hayden Schultz
Loyd Towe
Leonidas Hepis
Dean Robinson
David Wheat
Curtis Jackson
--
Michelle Dick artemis@fatfree.com East Palo Alto, CA
Owner, FATFREE Vegetarian Mailing List